Transferring device for stereotype-plates.



R. T. JOHNSTON.

TRANSFERRING DEVICE FOR STEREOTYPE PLATES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28. 1913.

1,147,733. Patented July 27, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Mew? wmaeef m I COLUMBIA PLANOGRAIH c0., WASHINGTON. n. c.

ROBERT T. JOHNSTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE GOSS PRINTINGPRESS COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

TRANSFEBRING DEVICE FOR STEREOTYPE-PLATES.

To all whom itimayconcern:

. Be it known that I, ROBERT T. J onivs'ron,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Transferring Devices for Stereotype-Plates, of which thefollowing is a specification. 1

My .invention relates to apparatus for operating upon stereotype-plates,in their preparation for application to rotary printing-presses, and it.has more particularly to do with mechanism for transferring such platesfrom the casting apparatus to the mechanism by which they are finished.

The object of my invention is to provide mechanism by which. the plate,after it has been cast and before the tail-piece or riser has beensevered from it, may be seized, by its riser end and lifted out of the.caseof the casting box, and turned over and, deposited on its sideedges upon a suitable stand or table, from which it may be transferredto any suitable finishing apparatus.

I accomplish this object as illustrated in the drawings and ashereinafter described.

1 What I regard as new is' set forth in the claims.

In the drawings,-Figure 1 is aside elevationillustrating my invention,the casting box being shown in conventlonal form. It.

will be understood that the casting boxlillustrated is of the commontype in which there is a fixed or stationary core, and apivotallymounted case which cooperates therewith, and is adapted to beturned into a vertical position to receive the molten metal, and

to be turned to a substantially horizontal position after the cast hasbeen made and prior to the removal of thejplate. Fig. 2 is a plan viewof the parts shown in Fig. 1, most of the stand or table being brokenaway; and Fig. 3 is an end view of the casting apparatus and the platetransferring device.

Referring to the drawings,& indicates the core of the casting-box, and 5the shell or case thereof, which is suitably pivoted, preferably asshown in patent No. 933,172, dated Sept. 7 1909, to Samuel G. Gross, sothat it can swing into operative relation with the core, or may beturned down to the position shown in Fig. 1. When in the Specificationof Letters Patent.

Patented July 27, 1915.

Application filed July 28, 1913. Serial No. 781,548.

latter position, the case is open at the top and atits right-hand end,andafter a cast has been made the plate lies in the case with its sidemargins uppermost and the tail-piece or riser at the right-hand end ofthe case, as is well understood by those familiar with the art.

6 indicates laterally-projecting handles provided at the sides of thecase for convenience in swinging it.

7 indicates a roller which I provide at the open end of the case, saidroller extending transversely of the case and having its peripheryconcave to correspond with the outer or printing surface of thestereotypeplate, asshown in Fig. 3, so that when the plate is drawn outof the open end of the case it will rest upon said roller. The roller isplaced slightly above what is the bottom of the case whenit is turned toa horizontal position, so that the plate is lifted slightly when drawnout, and consequently does not rub or scrape the case.

' 8 indicates the stand or table to which the stereotype-plate 9 istransferred.

10 indicates standards mounted on asuitable base 11, whichpreferably isalso the base of the casting-box, as shown in Fig. 1. The standards 10are at opposite sides of the case, being set a suflicient distance apartso that the plate 9 may pass between them. 12 indicates a shaft, whichis mounted in suitable bearings 13, carried. by the standards 10, asshown in Fig. 2.

14 indicates cranks mounted on the ends of the shaft 12 for rocking it.

15 indicates arms or lugs carried by the shaft 12, adjacent to thebearings 13, said arms being adapted to aline with the upturned sideedges of the stereotype-plate 9 when the same is drawn out of the case.The arms 15 are preferably at right angles with the cranks 14, so thatwhen the cranks are in a vertical position, as shown in Fig. 1, the arms15 are in a horizontal position, at which time they are parallel withthe side edges of the stereotype-plate, and are so placed that the platemay be shoved out under them, so that said arms then rest upon the sideedges of the plate, as shown in Fig. 1.

16 indicates a bent arm, which is secured substantially centrally to theshaft 12, and

is in position to project under the central portion of the tail-piecewhen the plate is moved out of the casting-box, in the manner shown inFig. 1. Thus when the plate is moved out to engage the transferringdevice, the side margins of the tail-piece lie immediately under andengage the arms 15, and the arm 16 projects under the central portion ofthe tail-piece, so that the three arms cooperate to engage thetail-piece in stored to its normal position for the reception of anotherplate.

In order to hold the plate-engaging device in its normal position andalso to limit its movement in one direction, I provide a standard 17arranged in alinement with the arm 16 and having a spring-stop 18, whichis adapted to engage a lug 19, carried by said arm 16, when the liftingdevice is in its normal position. This stop, however, owing to itsspring construction, is adapted to move back out of operative positionwhen the cranks 14 are operated to rock the shaft 12, but at other timesit engages the lug 19 with sufficient force to prevent accidentaldisplacement of the lifting device.

From the foregoing description it will be noted that the transferringdevice engages only the tailpiece, and consequently there is no dangerof damaging the printing surface of the plate. Furthermore, while thelifting device is arranged in proper position to receive the plate fromthe case after the cast has been made, it is entirely distinct from thecasting apparatus and does not interfere with or affect the operation ofthe latter in any respect, so far as the casting of the plate isconcerned. By the use of my improved apparatus, the plate does not haveto be handled except to the extent of moving it out of the castingapparatus far enough to engage the arms 1516, and

consequently the transferring of the plates to the table 8 is greatlyfacilitated, as owing to their shape and to the fact that they are veryhot when just cast, it is quite inconvenient and unpleasant to transferthem from the casting-box by hand.

So far as I am aware, I am the first in the art to provide meansseparate from the casting apparatus for engaging a stereotypeplate andtransferring it from the casting apparatus, or a transferring apparatusarranged to swing transversely of the plate,

or one which engages the endof the plate. The claims hereinafter made,are, therefore, to be construed accordingly.

That which I claim as my invention, and desire tosecure by LettersPatent, is,

1. A transferring device for stereotype plates, comprising meansindependent of the casting apparatus for engaging the plate, saidengaging means being movable to lift the plate out of the castingapparatus and transfer it to a suitable support.

2. A transferring device for stereotypeplates, comprising meansindependent of the casting apparatus for engaging the plate, saidengaging means being movable to lift the plate out of the castingapparatus, invert it, and deposit it upon a suitable support.

3. A transferring device for stereotype plates, comprising rocking meansindependent of the casting apparatus and having devices adapted toengage and retain the plate while it is lifted out of the castingapparatus by the rocking of said transferring device.

4:. A transferring device for stereotypeplates, comprising swingingmeans adapted to engage one end portion of the plate, said engagingmeans being adapted to swing to lift the plate out of the castingapparatus and transfer it to a suitable support.

5. A transferring device for stereotypeplates, comprising swinging meansadapted to engage one end portion of the plate, said engaging meansbeing adapted to swing to lift the ,plate out of the casting apparatus,invert it, and transfer it to a suitable support. i

6. A transferring device for stereotypeplates, comprising a rook-shaftmounted on a suitable support, and means carried by said shaft adaptedto engage an end portion of the plate and hold the same while said shaftis rocked to lift the plate out of the casting apparatus.

7. A transferring device for stereotype plates, comprising a rock-shaftmounted on a suitable support, arms carried by said shaft adapted toaline with and bear against the side margins of the plate when thelatter is moved out of the casting apparatus, and an arm carried by saidshaft and adapted to centrally engage the outer end portion of the platewhereby said arms coiiperate to hold the plate while said shaft isrocked to lift it out of the casting apparatus.

8. A transferring device for stereotypeplates, comprising a rock-shafthaving means adapted to engage an end portion of the plate and hold itwhile it is being lifted out of the casting apparatus, and a stop forholding said transferring device normally in operative position.

9. A transferring device for stereotypeplates, comprising a rockingmember having means for engaging an end portion of the plate when thelatter is moved out of the case of the casting apparatus, and meansoperatively related to said rocking member for lifting the plateslightly when it is moved out of the casting apparatus.

10. The combination with a stereotypeplate casting box, comprising acore and a case, said case being arranged to turn to a substantiallyhorizontal position, of a transferring member arranged opposite the openend of the case when the latter is in its horizontal position, saidtransferring member having rocking means adapted to engage an end of theplate and hold it While it is lifted out of the case.

11. The combination with a stereotypeplate casting box, comprising acore and a case, said case being arranged to turn to a substantiallyhorizontal position, of a transferring member arranged opposite the openend of the case when the latter is in its horizontal position, saidtransferring member having rocking means adapted to engage an end of theplate and hold it while it is lifted out of the case, and a rollercarried by the case and arranged between the case and the transferringmember for lifting the plate slightly when it is moved out of the caseinto engagement with said transferring member.

12. A transferring device for stereotypeplates, comprising means adaptedto swing about an axis arranged transversely of the plate, said meanshaving devices adapted to engage one end of the plate and hold it whileit is lifted out of the casting apparatus and transferred to a suitablesupport.

13. The combination with a stereotypeplate casting box having a pivotedcase, of a transferring device comprising a member independent of thecase and adapted to swing about an axis parallel with the pivotal axisof the case, and having means for supporting the plate while the same islifted out a of the case by the swinging of said transferring device.

ROBERT T. JOHNSTON. Witnesses:

J OHN L. JAoKsoN, W. H. DE BUSK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

